Gender Quotas Database
Zimbabwe
Eastern Africa
Single / Lower House
National Assembly
| Total seats | 270 |
| Total women | 75 |
| Percentage of women | 28% |
| Election year | 2023 |
| Electoral system | Parallel |
| Quota type | Reserved seats |
| Election details | IDEA Voter Turnout - IPU Parline |
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Reserved seats | Constitution |
For the life of the first four Parliaments after the effective date, an additional sixty women members, six from each of the provinces into which Zimbabwe is divided, elected under a party-list system of proportional representation based on the votes cast for candidates representing political parties in a general election for constituency members in the provinces. (Constitutional Article 124-b) This new addition will increase the size of Zimbabwe’s parliament from 210 to 270 members. |
| Is the provision of direct public funding to political parties related to gender equality among candidates? | No | See more in International IDEA's Political Finance database |
| Are there provisions for other financial advantages to encourage gender equality in political parties? | No | See more in International IDEA's Political Finance database |
Upper House
Senate
| Total seats | 80 |
| Total women | 33 |
| Percentage of women | 41% |
| Election year | 2018 |
| Electoral system | List proportional representation |
| Quota type | Legislated Candidate Quotas |
| Election details | IPU Parline |
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Legislated Candidate Quotas | Constitution |
(...) male and female candidates are listed alternately, every list being headed by a female candidate. (Constitutional Article 120/2-b) |
| Rank order/placement rules | Constitution | As provided in the new Consitution, 60 senators (6 from each of the 10 provinces) are elected through a proportional representation system “in which male and female candidates are listed alternatively, every list being headed by a female candidate”(Constitution, 2013, Part 3, Article 120 (1) (2). |
Quota at the Sub-National Level
| Quota type | Legislated Candidate Quotas |
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Legislated Candidate Quotas | Constitution |
In line with the new Constitution, in provincial councils in which 10 members are ordinarily elected through a proportional representation system within a province, ‘male and female candidates are listed alternatively, every list being headed by a female candidate’ (Part 3, Article 268 (1 & 3)). “According to Article 17 of the Constitution, "the State must take all measures, including legislative measures, needed to ensure that both genders are equally represented in all institutions and agencies of government at every level; and women constitute at least half the membership of all Commissions and other elective and appointed governmental bodies established by or under this Constitution or any Act of Parliament".” |
| Rank order/placement rules | Constitution | In line with the new Consitution, Provincial Councils in which 10 members are ordinarily elected through proportional representation system within a province, ”male and female candidates are listed alternatively, every list being headed by a female candidate” (Constitution, 2013, Part 3, Article 268 (1) and (3). |
Voluntary Political Party Quotas*
| Party | Official Name | Details, Quota provisions |
|---|---|---|
| Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front | (ZANU-PF) |
ZANU-PF is committed to ensure that at least one-third of all candidates are female. However, this quota has not been systematically applied. |
* Only political parties represented in parliament are included. When a country has legislated quotas in place, only political parties that have voluntary quotas that exceed the percentage/number of the national quota legislation are presented in this table.
Additional information
The system of reserved seats for women in the National Assembly, and of gender parity in candidate lists for Senate and provincial elections, promises to be a breakthrough for increasing the overall number of women in politics in Zimbabwe. Nevertheless, the text of the 2013 Constitution does not provide for any sanction with regard to parties found to be in non-compliance with the section of the Constitution requiring gender parity in candidate lists for the Senate and provincial councils. It remains to be seen if the Election Commission of Zimbabwe will disqualify such lists from the contest. As defined in the new amendmenet of the Constitution in 2023, the reserved seats for the National Assembly will apply to the four subsequent parliaments elected after 2013, so that it expires in 2033.
"The majority of the participants (68%) stated that processes for elections in Zimbabwe are not representative, inclusive or democratic and this also affects selection of PR quota system candidates. The research found that internal and external factors determine level of participation. Mostly, other MPs believe that while opportunities exist in the parties for women's participation, women sometimes generally shy away due to challenges such as lack of resources and political violence"(Kubatana.net).
Sources
LEGAL SOURCES:
- Constitution of Zimbabwe (amended up to 2023) - Link
- Electoral Law (amended through 2023) - Link
- Political Parties Law - Link
- Parliament Of Zimbabwe - Link
OTHER SOURCES:
- Zimbabwe Gender Commission - Link
- Hamandishe, A. 2018. 'Rethinking women's political participation in Zimbabwe's elections', African Portal, Published 27 July 2018, Accessed 26 September 2018.
- Women's Academy for Leadership and Political Excellence (WALPE) / the Southern African Parliamentary Support Trust (SAPST) “The efficacy of the Parliamentary women's proportional representation quota system”. Found at Kubatana.net (Accessed 2021-03-25)
- Darlington Tshuma (2018) "Looking Beyond 2023 What Next after Zimbabwe’s Parliamentary Quota System?". Found at Accord.org (Accessed 2021-03-25)
Additional reading
- See the latest updates on Zimbabwe on iKNOW Politics
- Arendt, C. (2018). From Critical Mass to Critical Leaders: Unpacking the Political Conditions behind Gender Quotas in Africa. Politics & Gender, 14(3), 295-322. doi:10.1017/S1743923X17000502
- Bauer, G. (2016) “A lot of head wraps”: African contributions to the third wave of electoral gender quotas, Politics, Groups, and Identities, 4:2, 196-213, DOI:10.1080/21565503.2015.1112293
- Dimitrova-Grajzl, V. & Obasanjo, I. 2019, "Do parliamentary gender quotas decrease gender inequality? The case of African countries", Constitutional political economy, vol. 30, no. 2, pp. 149-176.
- Dziva, C. (2018), "The 2013 Constitutional Reform and the Protection of Women's Rights in Zimbabwe", Eastern Africa social science research review, vol. 34, no. 2, pp. 21-35.
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